[LobsterD]

Aquired this photo recently. It shows a truck spraying DDT on bathers on Jones Beach in 1945.
A tag on the back reads : july 14 1945

Chemical fog rids beach of insects. Jones Beach,L.I.**** the first public demonstration of a chemical insectiside which is srpayed by a fog generator was successfully staged at jones beach, one of new york's biggest and most popuular bathing resorts. The insectiside, knon as (dichclorodiphenyl-trichlor-dethane)DDT and which is harmless to human beings, sprayed alond the beach by a tank-truck especially designed for the purpose, rose fifteen feet and appeared like a foggy clowd, killing every fly and mosquito in its path. almost instantly. needless to say, the bathers were delighted with the results of the demo.



Wonder if there was a fish kill right after this demo.

Any one around then remember this?

 

[bonsiguy]

dont remember that but when i was a kid at sleepaway camp as a kid in RI they used to use a fogger to fog the bunks for mosquitos and we would play in the fog .dont remember what the fog was now thinking back it couldnt been to smart of us .o what the **** back in the day smoking was good for you and booze didnt hurt so some pesticides what harm could they do. how could anything sprayed in the air bother somthing that swims in the sea? taking a while but i hope were learning

 

[Aquarius]

Where mosquitos that big of a problem at Jones Beach back then? For all the time spent there as a kid, I never remember bugs being a big problem. Granted, that spraying was over 60 years ago, and I am not that old, but I never thought bugs were a big problem at the beach.

 

[RedEd]

DDT did a great job of killing mosquitos and saved many many lives in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately it caused the shells of some birds to be fragile, so off the market it went. Banned globally. Now that's real racism in my view. Ed

 

[bravajo]

Aquarius wrote:
Where mosquitos that big of a problem at Jones Beach back then?

I don't know about 1945 but I can tell you that in the early 90's when I surfed at West End 2 at dusk you needed to wear your wet suit and hood all the way back to the parking lot or else you'd be eaten alive. I can remember quite a few times where they were swarming around my head so badly that I dropped the top on the jeep, jumped in and drove away with the swarm following me

 

[WWDLLudlum]

Bravajo wrote:
I don't know about 1945 but I can tell you that in the early 90's when I surfed at West End 2 at dusk you needed to wear your wet suit and hood all the way back to the parking lot or else you'd be eaten alive. I can remember quite a few times where they were swarming around my head so badly that I dropped the top on the jeep, jumped in and drove away with the swarm following me


It is still like that down there.

 

[DarthBaiter]

I remember that. We used to chase the truck around...

I'm sure that was great for our health. LoL

 

[claw1]

Was that you driving that spray truck , Hunt and Fish ?

Nice picture huh? I sure if you were around in 1945 you would be defending this picture too.

 

[Hunt n' Fish]

LOL

Not a bad way to spend the day. Driving the beach checking out all the bikini clad chickies.